


silver bullet

by claireandelide



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gun trigger warning, NaruHina Week 2017, hinata centric, mention of violence T to be safe but pretty tame, most of the characters make minor appearances, naruhina lite, werewolf hunters AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 03:55:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11267436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claireandelide/pseuds/claireandelide
Summary: Hiashi thought frightening his daughters and nephew with stories of men trapped in the bodies of wolves wouldn’t have as strong of an impact as giving them the tools to live to tell their own stories. Words didn’t save lives; skills did. If his children were going to survive in this world, they needed to have the weapons to kill.Pein fight/Werewolf hunter AU. A very late NaruHina week 2017 work (time is an illusion). Prompt: "cravings".





	silver bullet

Hiashi had his reasons. He was strict but had reasons.

Neji always took his side. Hanabi succeeded in training. Hinata would never voice her opposition.

Hiashi counted himself blessed: battles with pubescent children didn’t add to his gray hairs.

The local werewolf population did enough.

He thought frightening his daughters and nephew with stories of men trapped in the bodies of wolves wouldn’t have as strong of an impact as giving them the tools to live to tell their own stories. Words didn’t save lives; skills did. If his children were going to survive in this world, they needed to have the weapons to kill.

So the children trained vaguely aware of the howls that crescendoed with the waxing moon.

 _Don’t lose_ . Hinata chided herself. _Focus_. She squinted her eyes to get the target to stop moving.

“Nee-chan-” Hanabi blurted swinging her legs “-I doubt a werewolf would give you that much time to --”

Hinata pulled the trigger.

Hanabi tsk’d. “No bulls-eye.”

“Hanabi enough.” Neji slid off the table. “Hinata, how about we call it a night?”

“No,” Hinata reloaded her gun. “Another round.” She took in the shooting range ignoring her sister and cousin. She inhaled deeply.

Hanabi’s jab and teasing didn’t sting. Hinata had grown a shell to neutralize her younger sister’s immature comments. It was her father who could hurt her. Not that he meant to -- Hinata knew that. But, Hinata needed some reassurance and Hiashi didn’t know how to give that.

Hinata exhaled locking in on the target. Hiashi taught her how to fight and Hinata was a star pupil.

 

+

 

Neji sat back and watched how Hinata adjusted to the group. Kurenai, her private sensei, submitted her name for Konoha 12: problem solvers and skilled hunters who sought innovative ways to keep the population at bay.

Hinata approached Neji, a member, about joining.

_“You’ve grown a lot Hinata. I think if you want to do it, you should.”_

“What’s this month’s craving, Shikamaru?” Ino plopped onto the couch at HQ. She looked at Hinata, “Last month it was businessman and the month before that cats or anything that smelled like one,” she turned to Shikamaru, “Is this month gonna be easier? Like dojo owners?”

“There’s no thread right now.” Shikamaru scrolled through the newsfeed and police blotter. “It’s never been that easy anyway, Ino.”

She shrugged, lazily examining her hair. “I was hoping the newbie would get it a little easy her first full moon.”

“Hinata won’t need it. Didn’t you see her trial? She’s a straight shot,” Naruto blurted out.

Neji raised his eyebrow and look at his cousin. She bowed her head but he could see her blush.

It was true: Hinata had bloomed into her own right as a strong warrior. Neji owed his life to her prowess.

 

_The two of them were sneaking back into the house when an alpha corned them. Luck was fickle, giving them one enemy but a powerful one. Neji tried to divert his attention to let Hinata get away, but in his attempts to divide, he was conquered and wound up under the alpha’s paws._

_The alpha raised its claws and slashed at Neji’s forehead. The cut stung but Neji felt how shallow it felt._

_He blanched. How long would it toy with him before killing him?_

_“Neji-nii-san!” Hinata called out._

_“Hinata ru--.” The words died in his throat as three shots rang out striking the wolf in its vital spots._

_His cousin ran over and pulled the dead body off of him.” Are you okay?”_

_“I just thought about the lecture Uncle Hiashi is going to give us. I think I’m as okay as I can be.”_

 

TenTen bumped her shoulder into Neji and brought him back to the present. “Don’t make that face. If she’s old enough to protect humanity, she can get a boyfriend.”

“I’m not making a face.”

TenTen scowled and it took Neji a moment to realize she made it to mock him.

“Besides,” he shook his head, “Hinata will do what she wants. I can’t stop her. I might as well make sure she’s prepared.”

 

+

 

Kiba offered to buy Hinata a drink following her first day at K12.

 

_They had a unique relationship with the werewolves. Shino had always rounded out their trio but never feared the monsters like they had._

_Kiba mastered bravado before he conquered his fears. The Inuzukas bred werewolf hunting dogs and family members passed stories about the beasts they killed on the dinner table along with the meal. He was the youngest in the clan at the time, born at the tail end of a particularly brutal pack’s dominance._

_Kiba could pretend he was brave by comforting others._

_So, he recounted the Inuzuka war stories to Hinata knowing she shared his fears and learned not to storytell when Neji was around._

_One day, the story stuck in Kiba’s throat._

_“Kiba.” Hinata placed a hand on his forearm. “It’s okay to be afraid. Just don’t let your fear keep you from fighting back.”_

_Kiba flinched at the accuracy of Hinata’s words. Tears pooled in his eyes but he wiped them away._

_“It’s okay.” She smiled shily._

_Kiba knew the dangers of paralyzing in battle. But she was his age and knew how to fight through her fear to fight for someone else. Hinata is amazing and terrifying._

 

“They’re gonna call you ‘Silver Bullet’.” Kiba placed the cocktail in front of Hinata.

Hinata shook her head. “The last Silver Bullet was a child prodigy -- Hatake Kakashi. It might go to Neji or Sasuke. Even then Shikamaru would beat me out for the title.”

“Don’t discount yourself because you have defied expectations at every turn, Hinata,” Shino chided.

“I just think there are stronger more experienced warriors on the team that would get the honor before me.”

Kiba opened his mouth to further protest but his eyebrows jumped from furrowed to raised. “Naruto!”

Hinata caught herself before she spit her drink in shock. “Kiba,” she hissed. She turned to Shino for support, who glared at their friend behind his sunglasses. “Kiba stop.”

“Naruto, you gotta sec,” Kiba smirked, standing up to sling a casual arm around him. “Shino and I were trying to convince Hinata that she’s our generation’s ‘Silver Bullet’.”

Hinata stared into her drink.

“I could see it,” Naruto mused.

She blushed.

“TenTen’s a great shot and she’d give you a run for your money but I wouldn’t count Hinata out. You’re a really great shooter.”

“T-thanks! A lot of practice,” Hinata tried to deflect.

Naruto let out a slow whistle. “If you’re at that level on practice alone, you’re more amazing than I thought.”

 

+

 

Hinata grabbed the extra cartridge and slammed the car door shut. The radio messages played over and over in her head as she ran.

Naruto alone facing an entire pack. Corner of Main and 3rd. Back-up not requested.

Neji would kill her but she was too close not to do _something_ . _Maybe_ it _was_ luck that made her shots hit true when that alpha had Neji pinned.

Hiashi had taught her better: practice beat luck.

Her breath left her in visible puffs but Hinata couldn’t feel the cold.

The growls and yelps crescendoed and Hinata took her gun out of its holster.

An odd sense of relief washed over her as she stopped to survey the battle. Naruto had managed to kill three of the five wolves in the pack but the alpha and beta remained.

_Break down the task and analyze._

She took a shot at the beta but it moved the bullet nicked it in the side.

“What are you doing here?” Naruto hollered.

Both wolves turned. Hinata felt the atmosphere shift.

“Giving you a fighting chance.” She took another shot that lodged in the alpha’s thigh. The alpha growled and Hinata felt the hair at the nape of her neck raising.

 _What had Shikamaru said this month’s craving was?_ She reached for a second gun. _It was capricious this month, something he and Neji barely noticed._ Hinata flicked the safety took aim.

The alpha lunged and the pattern sprung from her memory.

Light-colored eyes.

“Hinata!”

She fired two shots before jumping out of its path. _There are two._ She located the beta in her periphery.

Naruto cursed checking his pockets for another cartridge. “Hinata, you fit the profile for this month’s--”

“Craving. I know. I’m not leaving.”

“What do you mean?” He glanced up after finding one and swapping it into his gun. “I’ve got it.”

Hinata didn’t respond taking aim and hitting in the alpha in the side as it dodged Naruto’s bullet.

“Last I checked your eyes are light colored too.” Hinata retorted.

Naruto hit the beta and it yelped. The sound raising goosebumps and Hinata braced for the retaliation.

She shifted to get a better view of the werewolves. _Wait for the right moment._

The alpha turned and pounced to attack Naruto. It couldn’t see Hinata’s shots to dodge in time.

Naruto’s mouth fell open as the alphas’ body fell to the ground. He let out a low whistle. The beta ran away its injury reducing its speed. He lifted his gun to fire at its retreating figure and it let out a final whimper when the bullet landed.

Hinata caught her breath returning one gun to its holster. “Was that all of them?” She approached Naruto.

Naruto nodded his jaw tightening. “What were you thinking?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“The pack caught me off guard and too many of us fit the description.”

“So you’d be the martyr.” Hinata frowned. She couldn’t keep the emotion out of her voice.

“ _So_ I’d do what I could and weaken the pack.” Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head further down at Hinata taking advantage of the height difference. “And you swooping in without backup? That seemed like a good plan?”

Hinata choked on the response that flashed to her brain. _But it was_ you. “I was close when I got the dispatch.” She shook her head hoping to clear her head. She didn’t meet his gaze returning her second gun to its position.

Naruto snorted leaning back and linking his hands behind his head. “Geez Hinata give a guy a break. I’ve been trying for weeks to impress you and you swoop in and steal my thunder. How uncool for your crush to save you.”

 _Crush?_ Hinata’s eyes jumped to meet his.

Naruto’s phone rang: It was the HQ’s ringtone.

“Hello? … Yea Sasuke I’m still here both arms attached...Hinata provided backup...When have I ever done anything reckless?”

Hinata snorted stifling a laugh. Naruto glanced at her and beamed focusing back on the phone call.

“We’ll debrief when we get back to the base. Bye.”

Hinata exhaled trying to dispel her anxiety and to be cool as he turned his full attention back to her.

“So?” Naruto prompted.

“Crush?” She squeaked. _She failed._

He blushed remembering his faux complaint. “Yea.”

“Oh.”

“O-oh?” His curiosity gave her some courage.

“Maybe throwing yourself into danger isn’t the best strategy to get my attention.”

“Oh?” Naruto smiled, quirking up an eyebrow. “Maybe we can talk about better strategies on the way back to HQ or over coffee.”

Hinata smiled back, blushing. “That’d be nice.”

**Author's Note:**

> One day I'll learn how to write summaries. I've had this story since January but school takes precedence or something like that. Tucked as many allusions to the Byakugan as I could. Naruto praising Hinata is my guilty pleasure. Sue me.


End file.
